Chapter 21: The Glorious Wooden Coffin

  In fact, the bodies of Wang Sheng and others were discovered by local villagers in the evening and reported to the county government. That night, the whole county was in chaos - more than ten people died, including five sons of national officials, and the county magistrate was so anxious that he almost hanged himself.

  The next day at noon, Yi, Wang Xiu and others all rushed back from the capital, dispatching servants from their homes and strong men from the county to search for them everywhere, until near midnight, when Xun and four others finally returned to the city one after another.

  After listening to his son and nephew's account of being kidnapped by the Yellow Turbans, Ji Yun stamped her foot and scolded: "You good-for-nothing won't study hard at home, causing me trouble every day! This time if it weren't for the blessing in disguise that made your Seventh Brother speak up, I would have beaten you to death! If Zheng Yuanhe were to be implicated because of this, how could I still show my face to Master Zheng Kangcheng?"

  When the family law was enforced, he gave him a good beating and dragged him out to lock him up. Then he said to Shi Xun: "You followed that rebellious son out, also made mistakes, if not for the injuries on your body, the family law would not be exempt. For now, remember, in the future without my permission, you are not allowed to go out of the city at will!" Shi Xun repeatedly kowtowed and swore, never daring to go out again——just kidding, the Yellow Turbans were right under their eyelids, even if they were allowed, they wouldn't dare go out!

  But then he was released again after only three days - Wang Sheng and several other families were handling the funeral, and it was necessary to take them to pay their respects. Before leaving, Shi Yi wrote several eulogies in a flurry of brushstrokes, handing them over to Shi Xun and Shi Jun, instructing them: "At the memorial service, you can read them one after another."

  The five dead men were all sons of government officials - in comparison, only Zheng Yi's family had no one serving as an official at the time - so many wealthy and noble families came to pay their respects. Shi took them to four homes over three days - fortunately, the wounds on his shoulders and thighs did not become infected, and after using medicine at home, they began to heal gradually; otherwise, just running around would have been enough for him to suffer. On the last day, the last family was that of Wang Sheng, King of Langya, whose older brother Wang Xiao, King of Fanyang, was a trusted advisor to Kong Rong, Governor of Beihai, and was appointed as an inspector; his face was so great that even Kong Rong himself came to pay his respects.

  Xizong stood in the queue, plucked up his courage and looked up to observe the famous Kong Beihai - only to see that this man was in his thirties or forties, with a face like jade, raised eyebrows and thin eyes, with a long beard, more scholarly than bureaucratic. Kong Rong had made his offerings and read a short memorial text, then rested for a while, just about to leave. It was Xizong's turn to recite the memorial text, he held the wooden board with both hands, stood in front of the spirit tablet for a long time, finally gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, taking advantage of Kong Rong not having left yet, let out a "Wu Hu" and began to chant:

  "When the coffin is closed, the wise and virtuous are helpless. In the past, when sending off the deceased, each returned to their own home. Relatives may still be sad, but others have already sung songs of joy. Where has the departed gone? Entrust the body to the mountain!"

  Kong Rong had one foot out the door when he heard this poem, and was immediately stunned. He slowly turned around, and suddenly clasped his hands together in front of his chest: "Wonderful! What a great 'Where to go after death, entrust the body to Mountain Ah'!"

  What Xun Zhe recited was half of Tao Yuanming's "Dirge", the original poem had 18 sentences, he reduced it by more than half and also condensed the four sentences "In a secluded room, I have been closed for thousands of years, thousands of years without dawn, thousands of years without dawn, wise men are helpless" into two sentences. The reason is none other than that he couldn't remember the first part.

  He Xun had some knowledge of national studies, especially liked poetry and songs, among which he memorized the most works by Cao Cao, Cao Zhi, Tao Qian, Li Bai, and Su Shi. A good traverser should not copy poems, nor is a modern person who can't cut and paste considered good. So since entering this family, he has been thinking about relying on copying poems to make a name for himself, but whose poems are good?

  Cao Cao's? No way. The creation dates of many of Cao Cao's poems are uncertain, and heaven knows whether he had already composed them at that time. Heaven knows whether "Presenting Wine" was written in his youth, and only when he grew old did he run along the Yangtze River with a horizontal sword, pretending to recite it? In this era, no one dared to plagiarize, being caught on the spot and still spouting nonsense, besides, would he dare to reason with Cao Cao?

  Cao Zhi's? Not necessarily. He really can't remember what year Cao Zhi was born in. Even if Cao Zhi was still a child at this time, who knows whether the kid is talented or not, and would start composing poetry as soon as he was born? At most, it would just be copying "Seven Steps Poem" without any burden... If they bumped into each other, it's possible to go and reason with Cao Zhi, but what if Cao Cao comes out to support his son... He still doesn't dare to reason with Cao Cao!

  Li Bai, especially Su Shi, are too far away from the Han Dynasty in terms of time, and their styles are completely different, making it difficult to simply copy and paste. Do we have to sing "When will the bright moon appear, asking the blue sky with wine" in this era? Sing "People say that Zhou Yu's Red Cliffs are three kingdoms"? (This is definitely the most unreliable) The four-character poem, five-character poem, and seven-character poem were just beginning to become popular in this era, not to mention ci poetry. Who can understand those Song Dynasty colloquial expressions?

  The most suitable one is Tao Qian, the Eastern Jin and the end of the Han Dynasty, with little change in vocabulary and tone, and no pollution from the Five Barbarians. The tone is also basically coordinated, especially the aesthetic tone of Tao Qian is very much to the taste of the corrupt officials of this era. Zhong (third tone), let's just copy Tao Qian!

  But copying poetry has to be done in order to become famous overnight. In this era, the brothel industry is not developed, and it's impossible to learn from those successful people who wore Southern or Northern Song Dynasty or Ming Dynasty clothes. If you recite poetry in front of a prostitute now, no one will pay attention to you - this era is not the aristocratic families' kept women, most of them have no culture at all, let alone being spread among scholars because of it. You have to recite poetry among scholars, and it's best to do so in front of a famous scholar, even better if it's a famous scholar who understands and loves poetry.

  Kong Rong is undoubtedly the best target in Beihai. People like Yi Zhong, officials and scholars like Zheng Xuan are not often seen reciting poetry or singing songs, they focus on government affairs or academic pursuits, so even if you recite poetry in front of them, it's like playing music to a cow. The best target should be Cao Cao, but unfortunately Cao Cao is not in Beihai, he is probably still recruiting soldiers and buying horses in Guangling County thousands of miles away.

  What a coincidence it was to run into Kong Rong in the Wang family's mourning hall! If not now, when should I recite poetry? It just so happened that Tao Yuanming had a few poems of "Dirge", and Xun still remembered half of the lines, so he made some slight changes and sold them.

  He was right, after all. As one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove", Kong Rong was a famous poet in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Even if they were independent of each other's time and space, separated by long years, he must have been spiritually connected with Tao Yuanming. After savoring it for a moment, he immediately applauded. The other officials and dignitaries in the hall, including Yi, all stared blankly, completely unable to appreciate where the poem was good.

  At this point, Kong Rong asked: "Who is this young man?" Shi hastily stepped forward: "My nephew is Xun." Kong Rong nodded to him: "Very well, very well. I will return to the capital tomorrow, and you, Ziyu, bring your nephew to see me."

  Then Xun followed Shi Yi out of Yingling City the next day, heading to Beihai State's capital, Ju County. The two traveled in the same carriage, accompanied by five family slaves and twenty local soldiers for protection along the way — but Xun thought to himself, last time we were also more than twenty people, weren't we beaten like dogs? With these goods, Guan Si can take on ten people alone, and although Guan Hai hasn't been seen taking action, judging from his build, he should be able to handle thirty or fifty people with ease.

  So he was nervous all the way, and it seemed as if a yellow turban would pop out from anywhere. Yishi thought that he was a bit stage-frighted about meeting high officials, so he helped to boost his morale: "Kong Beihai's appearance is unparalleled in the world, but he is kind and gentle, and his conversation is also very witty, so you don't have to be nervous."

  Xun Xin said, "I'm not afraid of anyone, let alone Kong Rong." Someone like Ni Heng with his foul mouth and temperament, Kong Rong can tolerate, so why would I, a straightforward person, be afraid of offending Kong Rong?

  Fortunately, the road was safe and they soon entered the county town of Ju, where they paid their respects at the residence of the Minister of State. Kong Rong asked a few questions about Zuo's age and background, then asked: "The poem you recited in front of Wang Ziyuan's spirit tablet the other day, was it an old composition or one that you came up with on the spot?"

  Xun hastily shook his head: "I, Xun, am not talented in writing poetry. This was written the night before, as I lay awake, lamenting the brevity of life, like autumn flowers that wither instantly. After much contemplation, I managed to compose this poem."

  It seems that Kong Rong is quite interested in him, and then asked: "Are there any other old works that can be recited one by one, so that I can appreciate them?"

  This is easier to handle, since it's an old work, there are no special requirements for genre, theme, content and so on, you can copy at will. So he thought for a moment, and continued to imitate Tao Yuanming.

  "The luxuriant tree, relies on its roots. Prosperity rises in the morning, but by evening it no longer exists. Good fortune and misfortune come from man, not from Heaven's gate. Without the Way, what can be relied upon? Without goodness, what can be upheld?"

  "This poem is full of profound meaning!" Kong Rong applauded and cheered, then turned his head to look at the bewildered Yishi, "I didn't expect your family to have such a talented person!"

  Is this a curse?... Rongmu is just the Chinese name for the Sicklepod flower, and Tao Yuanming's poem is lamenting how the Sicklepod flowers bloom in the morning and wither by evening. This serves as a warning to people that fortune and misfortune come from oneself, not others, and one must strictly follow the teachings of the sages. Although the two characters "Rongmu" can be used to praise someone, implying a flourishing tree... are you cursing me to die young?!

  While secretly resentful, Kong Rong asked if there were any more. Xi Zhi was forced to recite two more poems. The more Kong Rong listened, the more he praised them, and urged him again and again. Finally, Xi Zhi became thoroughly angry: "Are you done yet? Do you think I'm a collection of Tao's poetry? It's already incredible that I can remember three or five poems, do you know that?"

  Of course, he couldn't say that out loud, so he changed the subject: "Although poetry expresses one's will, it is ultimately inferior to the classics. A great man should focus on studying and mastering the words of the sages, and take it as his duty to support the state and society; how can he indulge in chanting and playing with the wind and moon?"

  "This is excellent," Kong Rong applauded again and asked him, "Whom did Hong Fu study under, and which classics did he specialize in?"

  Here is the translation:

  "Alas, I can only blush and reply: 'I am from a distant county, without a good teacher, all self-taught. There are many things I don't understand, but no one to ask.'"

  Kong Rong nodded: "Hong Fu is a good talent, and if I can get him to teach me, it will be the luck of my life." Suddenly, his tone changed: "Unfortunately, national affairs have been busy recently, and there is no leisure time. What a pity, what a pity..."

  Xun Xin said, "You're not busy teaching me, what are you talking about?!" Hurriedly continuing the conversation, he said: "Xun Zai and Zheng Yien have just met, but haven't had a chance to ask for advice yet."

  Kong Rong shook his head: "Yi En is indeed a loyal and righteous scholar, but unfortunately, he has average talent. Master Kang Cheng's learning is like the vast ocean, while Yi En only got a scoop of it - not worth learning from." He lowered his head to think for a moment, then suddenly clapped his hands: "There is one talented scholar in Luoyang who also studied under Master Kang Cheng. I will write a letter of recommendation now, and if Hong Fu studies with him, he will definitely gain something." As he spoke, he took out a brush and paper, and wrote a letter with swift strokes. The title was: "To my brother Gong Yu".

  It was a moment when he didn't think of who this "Gong Yu" was, and after glancing at him, his expression was also vague. However, since he was Zheng Xuan's disciple and Kong Rong had strongly recommended him, he probably wouldn't be an ordinary person, and could understand one or two classics. So he thanked him repeatedly and accepted the wooden tablet.

  Kong Rong ordered a servant to lead Xi Zhen to find Mr. Gong Yu. The residence was not far from the National Chancellor's mansion, and after crossing two streets, they arrived quickly. After knocking on the door, the letter of introduction was handed over, and soon a servant came out to receive them. As they stepped into the hall, they saw a middle-aged man standing upright with a yellow face and long beard, but what was most striking were his eyes, which had a dull color and seemed to pierce through one's heart as he stared at people.

  It was Xun who came forward and greeted him with a bow. The other also bowed deeply: "I am Sun Qian."

  I've come! It's actually Mr. Sun Gongyu!